Carrier for cable-carrier-despatch systems.



M. B. LAWRENCE.

CARRIER FOR CABLE CARRIER DESPATCH SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8. I914.

Patented 'July 25, 1916.

[naen/or M w-ca film/"neg.

Mine sses W4? v'lk' mmms PEIERs cm, PNOlD-LIYNQ. WAsnlMnruM n c n1) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MILLARD BTLAWRENCE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORTO THE LAMSON COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CARRIER FOR CABLE-GARRIER-DESPATCH SYSTEMS.

Application filed December 8, 1914. Serial N 0. 876,141.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILLARD B. LAW- nnNoE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carriers for Cable-Carrier- Despatch Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in carriers and more especially to carriers of a type now commonly in use in cable carrier despatch systems.

It has for one of its objects the simplifir cation of such carriers in order to facilitate the assembly of the parts thereof.

Another object has been to provide means whereby certain important parts of these carriers which are subject to wear and tear may be made more accessible and easily replaceable.

These and other objects of my invention will be hereinafter referred to and the novel combination of elements whereby said objects may be attained will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof and in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, I have exemplified a carrier which embodies my invention; but as I am aware of various changes and modifications which may be made herein without departing from, the spirit of the invention, I desire to be limited only by the scope of said claims.

Referring to the drawing: Figure 1 is a plan view of a carrier, partly broken away to better illustrate certain of the parts. Fig. 2 is an end view of said carrier. Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the same. Fig. 4 is a section taken on line IVIV of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail of the cover with the cam spring casing, hereinafter referred to, attached thereto; the latter having been removed from the box or receptacle; and Fig. 6 is a detail rear View of the slot and tongue connection between the cam spring casing and the box.

The carrier, in so far as the general form of its receptacle, cover, guide parts and grip are concerned, is very similar toy that shown in a patent to- George A. Amsden, Number 960,617, dated June 7 1910. The body parts of the carrier will hence but herein be briefly considered. They comprisethe receptacle 1, to the bottom of which is attached the fiber guide plate 2, spacing fiber or plate 3, which r des between the rails upon which the carrler travels, and the metal guide plate 4 wh ch carries the usual ears or lugs 5 and 5. which retain the carrier in place upon its rails. The above enumerated parts are all connected together by means of shouldered screws 6 and 6, which are screwed into the metal base or guide plate 4 and the bottom threads of which are preferably slightly burred to prevent the screws from inadvertently working out. Usually these screws are all of the same length but in the present instance the screws 6 are slightly longer than t hose designated 6 in order to make provision for the ears 7 of the grip cam casing 8 hereinafter referred to.

j The carrier may be provided with the usual cable gripping device, the fixed jaw 9 of which is usually riveted directly to the base plate 4, while the pivoted grip element 10 is journaled directly against a side wall of the receptacle 1 by means of straps 11. The pivoting portion 12 of the movable jaw 10, preferably carries the usual tooth or detent 13 which bears against the flat spring l4, so that the jaw 10 tends to dispose itself as follows: When the jaw 10 has been moved clockwise as viewed in Fig. 3 until it is anywhere near the position in which it is shown, the spring 14 tends to straighten out and thereby to press the detent 13 around clockwise to move jaw lO into the position in which it is shown in said figure; while when said jaw has been moved well over toward the left, the detent 13 has been thereby rotated so far counter-clockwise as to considerably bow the spring 14 and since the direction of pressure of the spring 14 against the point of the tooth 13 is at such time very nearly toward, or in fact in one position of the jaw 10 exactly toward, the axis of the pivotal part 12 of said jaw, the spring does not tend to rotate jaw 10 toward the fixed jaw 9. In fact when the jaw 10 has been moved very nearly to the left hand end of the slot 15, in which it rides, the spring exerts a slight tendency to complete this left hand movement and thus fully open the grip. It has been customary to rivet these flat'springs directly to the casting or like part which corresponds to the sheet metal Patented July 25, 1916.

' cover 20, in order to swingthe lugs 7 around casing 8 used in the present case; but'since it has been found in practice that these Springs are more likely to get out of order than any other part of the box, either by taking a set or by actually breaking, it

has been one of the objects of the present invention to not only facilitate access to'this spring, but further to permit of its ready removal and replacement. To this end the casing 8, which it may be here stated, is preferably of sheet metal punched and struck up into the form shown, is slotted as at 16 at the respective ends thereof, for the reception of'the reduced ends 16 of the flat spring 14L By reason of the reduction of the ends of said spring, in Width, the shoulders thereby provided prevent the spring from becoming displaced longitudinally thereof, while when the spring is in place the detent 13, bearing as it always does against one side of said spring, tends to press it in toa ward the inner wall of the casing 8 to a greater or less extent, depending upon the disposition of the movable jaw 10 with respect to jaw 9. g

The casing 8 preferably is provided with ears 7 through which pass the shouldered screws 6, by means of which said ears are clamped firmly against the bottom of the receptacle 1; while centrally of this casing 8 a plug 17 is provided, which is bent upwardly as best shown in Figs. 5 "and 6 to adapt it for engagement withan inbent portion 18 of the upper edge of the receptacle 1. Directly below this inbent portion is a slot 19 through which the upstanding lug 17 may be inserted. By virtue of the construction shown, therefore, wheneverit is desired to remove the spring 14 from the carrier, all

thatis necessary to do is to withdraw the screws 6 and push back upon the carrier clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 4:, until the ears 7 clear the bottom of the receptacle; whereupon the lug 17 may be removed from its engagement with the box, through the slot 19. The casing then will occupy the position with respect to' the cover 20 in which these parts are shown in Fig. 5, since the spring 21 mounted upon the pivoted pin 22 'of the cover 20, tends to swing the cover around clock-wise with respect to the casing 8 until the back of the cover comes to rest against the lugs 23 provided at opposite ends of the casing 8 adjacent the bearings in this casing through which extends the said pin 22. These bearings may conveniently be formed by bending ears 24 back upon the metal from which they project, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, both the said metal and the ears being drilled for the reception of the cover pivoting pin.

In so far as the cover is concerned, this.

may be of any suitable description, but is preferably provided with a spring 21 which normally tends to press it open and with a closure or latch 25, pivoted thereto at 26, this latch being practically identical with that shown in the patent to George A. Amsden, Number 1,071,018. The spring for this latch has been designated 27, but this per 86 forms no part of the present invention.

One point remains to be considered which thougha small one is nevertheless of some importance. I refer to the fact that by reason of the construction shown the pin 22 need not have an endthereof split, as has heretofore been the case, While further no aperture is provided in the side of the box 1 through the slot 19 and the casing is rocked around until its ears 7 may be screwed fast to the floor of the box, whereupon it becomes impossible for the pin 22 to move longitudinally in either direction; the side walls of the box of course preventing such movement.

l. A carrier for cable carrier apparatus, comprising a receptacle having a cover, a gripping device for engaging the cable and guidesfor engaging the rails of said apparatus, said receptacle having connected thereto a casing, to which said cover is pivotally connected, a spring in saidcasing for controlling an element of said gripping device, said casing having an interlocking lug and slot connection with a wall of said receptacle, and detachable and attachable threaded means for maintaining said casing and receptacle in interlocked relationship.

2. A carrier for cable carrier apparatus, comprising a receptacle having a cover, a gripping device for engaging the cable and guides for engaging the rails of said apparatus, said receptacle having attached thereto a casing to which said cover is pivotally connected, a spring in said casing for controlling an element of said gripping device, said casing having a separable connection with a lateral Wall of said receptacle, and a removable member for connecting said casing to the bottom of said receptacle, said separable connection being adapted to hold the casing and receptacle in locked relationship only so long as said casing is connected to the bottom of said receptacle by said removable member.

3. A carrier for cable carrier apparatus, comprising a receptacle having a cover, a gripping device for engaging the cable and guides for engaging the rails of said apparatus, said receptacle having attached there- Y to a casing to which said cover is pivotally with a lateral Wall ofsaid receptacle, and a removable member for connecting said casing to the bottom of said receptacle, and for also connecting said guides to said recep tacle.

4. A carrier for cable carrier apparatus, comprising a receptacle having a cover, a gripping device for engaging the cable and guidesfor engaging the rails of said apparatus, said receptacle having attached thereto a casing to which said cover is pivotally connected, a spring in said casing for controlling an element of said gripping device, said casing having a separable interlocking connection with a lateral wall of said receptacle, and a connection between said spring and easing, said casing cover and grip controlling spring being removable together from said receptacle.

5. A carrier for cable carrier apparatus, comprising a receptacle having a cover, a gripping device for engaging the cable and guides for engaging the rails of said apparatus, said receptacle having connected thereto a casing, to which said cover is pivotally connected, a spring in said casing for controlling an element of said gripping device,

said casing having an interlocking lug and slot connection with a wall of said recepgripplng device for engaging the cable and guides for engaging the rails of said apparatus, said receptacle having connected thereto a casing, to which said cover is pivotally connected, a spring in said casing for controlling an element of said gripping de-' vice, said casing having an interlocking lug and slot connection with a wall of said receptacle, and means distinct from said casing and receptacle for maintaining the lat: ter in their interlocked relationship, said casing having earsadanted for engagement with the bottom of said receptacle and for co-action with said last mentioned means.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in the presence of two Witnesses.

MILLARD B. LAWRENCE. Witnesses:

THos. P. BROWN, HOWARD E. TOMLINSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

